


For the Life Unlived - A Very Disney Special

by ColeTReed



Series: HomeHunters [5]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: For the Life Unlived, Gen, HomeHunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-22
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2017-12-30 04:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1014084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColeTReed/pseuds/ColeTReed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A side story and continuation of “For the Life Unlived”, the kids get to experience the wonders of Disneyworld firsthand, thanks to an impromptu gift from their Uncle Burnie.  But how will the kids (and their dads) deal with their first long term separation away from the place they called home?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 0 - The Gift

Day 0 - The Gift

The second half of the HomeHunters Kindergarten year went by far too fast for Geoff to comprehend.  Before they knew it, it was May, and the kids were “free”, as they so comically referred to it as.  Though it would prove to be a boring summer for the children, sans the trip to California they would make in July, right before school started back up.

Sitting in the living room, Geoff was enjoying a quiet moment alone.  Jack had taken the kids out for breakfast.  The TV was off.  Griffon was right beside him, reading a book quietly.  It was relaxing.

“So Geoff, question.  In this foster-book thingy for the HomeHunters…  WHY exactly can’t we physically discipline the children?  I mean, not that I’d ever really think about it, but damn…  Caiti seems to bring that up like a fucking egg timer every chapter.” Griffon questioned, breaking the silence between them.

Geoff chuckled.  “Think about it for a bit.  Some kids are like me that got the shit beat out of them on a daily basis, or are just acting out a way to get attention for a bigger problem.  So honestly, the last thing they need is more of that, bringing back horrible memories or making them feel scared in their new home.  So we prefer our parents to try and talk things out.  We try and correct behavior problems through negative and positive reinforcements.  Which is why we ask our parents to bring excessive behavior problems to us instead, where we can get them therapy or find them an outlet.” he explained, giving her a gentle smile.  

She nodded.  “That makes sense.  Is that why you started taking Michael to boxing lessons?” Griffon replied.

Snorting, Geoff stifled a laugh.  “Kind of.  He’s always got some sort of aggression pent up, so it’s certainly a good outlet.  But really, it’s mostly because he thinks its fun playing with the punching bag in his room.” he said.  

A knock comes to the front of the house.  Geoff turns to Griffon curiously.  “I thought Jack just left for the ice cream parlor with the kids?  Who could that be?” he asked, standing up and making his way there.  

He opens the door quickly, and is presented with a horrifying sight the likes of which there was no equal.

-

“DAD!  We’re home!” Ryan shouted, opening the door up.  Behind him was his brothers, the group of them in their varying preferred summer attire.

Ryan and Miles were sporting basic T-shirts and jean shorts.  Gavin was a little more dressed up in a polo, as well as short khaki pants.  Michael was in athletic shorts and a T-shirt.  Ray was in a graphic tee, accompanied by a pair of grey shorts that the boy seemed to wear on a daily basis.

The kids entered the house, their faces immediately turning into a perplexed mess of confusion.

“GEOFF!  You have got to try….  This.. new…. ice cream…  parlor- What the hell?” Jack exclaimed, jaw dropping immediately.

The HomeHunters house was decked out from floor to ceiling in tacky tropical decorations.  Paper palm trees, sand laid out in the corner of the kitchen, beach umbrellas, and a stand up Mickey Mouse cardboard cutout was now occupying their front entrance.  Some obnoxious Jamaican tune was blaring loudly in the hallway.

Miles blinked a few times, tilting his head to the side.  ”Ok, who vomited Florida all over our house?” He quipped,  shutting the door behind the rest of them..

"You’re home, great!  I’ve been waiting for hours!" Burnie shouted, walking in from the hallway.  The man was wearing the tackiest neon pink Hawaiian shirt possible, in a pair of gaudy sunglasses.

Gavin smiled brightly.  ”Uncle Burnie!” He shouted, running over and hugging his leg.  The other small kids followed suit, excited to see their favorite “relative”.

Turning his head up to Burnie, Michael grinned deviously.  “What’dya bring us?” he asked knowingly.

“MICHAEL!” Jack shouted, folding his arms angrily at his son’s rudeness.

With a loud guffaw, Burnie just shook his head.  “ACTUALLY, I did bring you guys something, for you and all your little friends!” he said mysteriously, raising his eyebrows.

“What?!  What?!” the little kids chimed in together, hopping up and down eagerly.

Pulling out a small party-popper, Burnie let loose with a small cannon of confetti.  “Courtesy of the “Burnie Burns Foundation for giving you kids the greatest summer vacation of your lives to make up for lost time”, you’re ALL GOING ON AN ALL EXPENSE PAID VACATION TO DISNEYWORLD, IN TROPICAL ORLANDO, FLORIDA!” he exclaimed jovially, showering the kids with tiny bits of colored paper.

And, then…  Silence.  

The children stopped bouncing up and down.  Miles and Ryan dropped their jaws.  Jack lost a lot of color in his face.

“And I’ll be your handsome, single, and hopefully LUCKY bachelor chaperone!” Joel said, popping out from behind the couch at last.  He was in a funky straw hat, a horrible touristy t-shirt, and a pair of Goofy-themed sunglasses.

Turning to face Joel, Jack eyed him incredulously.  “How long have you been hiding there, waiting to pop out like that?” he asked curiously.

Joel shrugged.  “About half an hour.  Worth it though.” he remarked.

“So…  Like, this isn’t a joke?  Like FOR REAL?” Ray choked out, tugging at Burnie’s shirt.  “YOU’RE NOT KIDDING, RIGHT?  YOU WOULDN’T JOKE ABOUT THIS, RIGHT?!  YOU DON’T JOKE ABOUT DISNEYWORLD!” he shouted.

Burnie grinned.  “Of course it’s not a joke!  You’re all going!  We leave tomorrow morning, first thing at 6 AM!  We’re getting on a flight, flying to DisneyWorld and staying for seven days and six nights of beautiful fun corporate commercialism at sky high inflated prices!  I’ve got us tickets for ALL the parks, and we’ll spend a day on the beach too!  It’s going to be the MOST fun you’ve ever had before!” he announced, patting Ray on the shoulder.  

Groaning, Jack slapped his own face.  “Burnie, I wish you’d called us first.  Geoff and I are stuck here in Austin this week, we’re getting our curriculum certified, and Caiti has to have us.  I’m sorry, but we can’t go.  And the kids-”

Stopping Jack before the kids nearly died of horrendous disappointment, he shushed him.  “Relax, Geoff already told me about that.  I seriously don’t mind taking the kids myself.  I’d LOVE a chance to spoil them rotten with Ashley!” Burnie said loudly, giving the kids a reassuring nod.

The children, still waiting on bated breath, all shot back to look at Jack.  There was a desperate, almost cannibalistic harshness to their eyes.  

He groaned again.  ”Burnie..  I’m thrilled about this, but..  Can you really wrangle nine kids?  I mean, I know Joel will be there, but…” Jack asked, his worry clearly showing.

Walking into the living room in a bikini, holing a coconut beverage and wrapped in a Hawaiian dress, Griffon gave him a thumbs up.  ”Relax!  I’m going too!  Geoff said there was no way you guys could go, so I offered to go as a chaperone with Joel!  It’ll be GREAT experience for me if and when I ever get my own HH kid.  Besides, I grew up with you two bozos, I’m sure I can handle GOOD kids!” she explained gleefully.

Nervously, Jack shook his head.  “I just don’t know.  It’s a long way for the kids to-”

A gigantic round of “PLEASE” began escaping the lips of the smaller children, while Miles and Ryan exchanged hopeful glances.  Even Burnie got down on his knees, begging alongside the children with a pouty expression.

Huffing, Jack just rolled his eyes.  “I guess I know when I’m beat.  If Geoff said it was ok, I guess I can’t really object.” he said, defeated as he walks into the living area to take a seat.

Ryan’s face lit up.  ”So we’re…” He stuttered in disbelief.  

Jack sighed, nodding.  ”YES, I guess you guys can-“

"DISNEYWORLD!" the kids screamed, leaping up and down wildly.  The amount of shrill screaming was deafening, and the house literally shook from the movement and motions. 


	2. Chapter 2

Packing the bags of six overly eager children was a challenge.   
Gavin had to have his teddy, and wanted to bring his keyboard (an impossibility). Michael HAD to have all his ds games, and wanted to bring Edgar (an impossibility). Ray wanted to bring every game in existence, alongside the tv for the long flight (an impossibility). Ryan and Miles were the far more compliant, packing themselves efficiently and then working to pack all the bags into their family van. It was a labor that took the better part of three hours and a lot of loud “discussions”.   
But eventually, the bags were packed and the kids would be ready to leave early in the morning.   
Eating a late dinner by themselves for once, the HomeHunters were discussing the coming trip and their expected behavior.  
“-and Michael, you be respectful to Burnie the entire time. Treat him like you would treat me!” Geoff said, shoveling in a handful of fries to his mouth.  
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Poor choice of words.” He said, Miles nodding in agreement with him.  
Ignoring his son’s snarky comment, Geoff turned to Gavin. “Do not EVER get out of Griffon’s sight. You have a bad habit of running off in stores!” He ordered, giving his child a stern look.  
“Yes dad!” Gavin replied immediately , fiddling anxiously with his happy meal toy. He had clearly not heard a word Geoff said.  
Chuckling, Ryan shook his head. “He’ll be gone in ten seconds of us arriving. I suggest a leash!” Ryan quipped, Miles nodding in continued agreement.  
Paying his smart ass son no mind, Geoff turned to Ray. “And you! Put down the video games when you’re in the parks! No DSes unless you are at the condo!” Geoff demanded.  
Playing a game on his DS, Ray gives a silent confirmation in the form of a thumbs up.   
“Better chance hell will freeze over.” Ryan muttered, Miles laughing in response.   
Geoff swing around to Ryan an Miles. “And you two smartasses watch the kids like hawks, and help out Griffon and Joel. You know the kind of freaks that are out there. ” he said seriously, motioning to the two of them with hand signals.   
Both of them replied with thumbs up. “Relax dad, you’re having a coronary and we haven’t even left yet! Miles and I will take care of the little ones, no problem!” Ryan explained seriously.  
Miles smiled. “Yeah, we’re on top of things! We will make sure it’s the best vacation ever!” He exclaimed positively.  
Chuckling, Jack shook his head. “You sound like me! What is there to worry about? I mean, this is Burnie we’re talking about! He’s a responsible adult!” He said, the words sounding far less than convincing.   
There was a silence between the family, and the older members exchanged nervous glances.

———

Getting through airport security had been a relatively painless procedure, except for Joel, who had been retained for additional screenings.  
“They legitimately groped me! There was a full on grasping of lil’ Heyman. I had honestly no idea that my genitals were a matter of national security. I mean, they ARE spectacular, and I am a prime example of the male figure, but-” Joel said obnoxiously, and loud enough for the boarding security to hear.   
Griffon, however, was having none of it. “Ok Joel, we get it, you love yourself.” She said sarcastically, covering his mouth.  
The kids all laughed, snickering loudly as their group entered the plane, and moved towards their respective seats.  
Burnie directed them, and soon their group had attracted the attention of several co-passengers.  
“Oh great, a fucking horde of them.” One said, at an obnoxious volume.  
“Children should not be allowed to fly. I paid good money for this ticket!” Another said, right next to the first voice.  
Joel, Lindsay, and Courtney, who were sat behind said individuals, exchanged annoyed looks.  
“It’s a real shame when the adults are more annoying than the kids on a flight, isn’t it girls?” Joel said loudly, leaned deeply into the ears of those in front of them.  
Lindsay nodded. “Quite so.” She said very properly, in a faked British tone.  
Leaning forward with Joel, Courtney got a smug grin on her face. “Aww. Do the grown ups need a coloring book?” She asked in a baby-like voice.   
Sat behind the trio of smartassery, Michael, Gavin, and Griffon were looking out the window.   
“Uh.. How high will we get?” Michael asked nervously.  
Beaming brightly, Gavin turned around to face him. “REAL high! Like above the clouds high!” He replied quickly.  
A slight shade of green covered Michael’s face quickly.   
Catching his change in demeanor, Griffon pulled his tiny backpack from the floor and pulled out his DS. “Play that to take your mind off things. If you need to puke, aim for Gavin, these are new jeans.” She said sweetly, as Gavin got very nervous, very quickly.  
At the far back, Ray, Ryan, and Miles were all playing pokemon games together, sharing a quiet silence between them in the midst of their focus.  
“When does piggeotto evolve?” Ryan asked, scrunching his eyes angrily at another defeat in a gym.  
“36, but it sucks. Catch a spearow instead. Or, you know, ANYTHiNG else. No wonder you can’t beat Whitney, you suck man.” Ray replied immediately.  
Miles laughed at the statement, patting the child’s head. “That’s my boy!” He said proudly.  
With everyone situated, Burnie smiled and waved a fond farewell to the group alongside Kerry and Dan.   
Joel turned to face him. “And where is your Hollywood ass heading?” He asked incredulously.  
Hiding behind Kerry, he sweats nervously. “Well, I uh.. I might have gotten some first class tickets for myself and the kids I watched. You know… I’m very used to this sort of treatment.” Burnie explained, waking backwards slowly.  
Kerry grinned alongside Dan. “See ya suckers!” Kerry said, running away towards the front of the plane.  
Lindsay and Joel exchange knowing looks. “They must suffer.” Lindsay said.  
“Of course, the usual?” Joel muttered deviously.  
Having already pulled out her sketchbook, Courtney shook her head. “Those poor people.” She remarked simply.

-

The flight had been uneventful, save for Michael vomiting into a bash and torturing Gavin with it for most of the flight.   
After landing, grabbing their luggage, and getting into their rental SUVs, Burnie led them to his summer condo and unlocked the door for a parade of children to rush through it.  
“Woooooow!” Michael exclaimed, taking in the sight of their condo. It was a luxurious suite, with several bedrooms across two stories, a couple of bathrooms, an exquisite entertainment center, and a wide array of tropical themed furniture and accessories.  
Burnie grinned. “Ok boys, go fight over what rooms you want. Griffon gets her own room upstairs, and no sharing rooms with the girls!” He ordered, slumping into an easy chair and turning on the television.  
Gavin took no time in yanking Michael and Dan’s hands and pulling them into the nearest room.   
Lindsay and Courtney grab the room immediately next to the boys, secretly cheering that they didn’t have to share a bed.  
Ryan, Miles, Kerry and Ray piled into the biggest room wordlessly. Ray was already pulling out the thin model PS2 from his carry on, discussing what they could all play together.   
Joel bounded up the stairs for his room, alongside Griffon.  
“Please control yourself tonight Griffon, I wouldn’t want Kara or Geoff getting jealous,” Joel said jokingly.  
Joel soon found his suitcase chucked down the stairs, exploding clothes all over the floor.  
Inside the younger boys room, Dan had already taken ownership over one of the two beds.   
“Mine!” He exclaimed, spread out over it.  
Similarly, Gavin hopped on the other bed digging under the covers. “Mine and Michael’s!” He yelled happily.  
Joining Gavin on the bed, he grabs a pillow from the top of it, and arms himself. “We hereby declare war on Dan!” He shouted, chucking the pillow violently at Dan, and smacking him with a loud thud.  
Propping himself up, Dan grabbed two pillows and chucked them on the opposite side of the room.   
Next door, Lindsay and Courtney exchange exasperated sighs. “Boys..” Lindsay said, shaking her head sadly.  
Not buying into it, Courtney crossed her arms. “Wanna go in there and beat em to death?” She asked casually.  
Lindsay nodded immediately. “Absolutely!” She yelled, grabbing a pillow for herself and chucking one to Courtney.

-

With half their day gone from travel, the group had gone out for a nice dinner, and rented a movie to watch for the evening. Their first day in Disney would be tomorrow morning as soon as everyone was ready, and Griffon was secretly excited herself, and had tucked into bed early that night.   
Having been fast asleep, Griffon awoke in a start as a tiny body crawled beside her. Hiding under their own covers, they were wrapped up like a little burrito. Whoever it was, they gripped around her waist in a hug, burying their face in her back.  
She groggily smiled. “Do you miss your daddy?” Griffon whispered quietly.   
The head nodded in her back.  
“Well… It’s ok. We’ll have all kinds of fun tomorrow, and take plenty of pictures to show your daddy when we get back. Until then.. You can just sleep in here with me if you want.” She replied in a comforting tone.  
Just as quickly as the child had entered and awoken her, the two of them went right back to sleep, dreaming of the fun days to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Grumbling to himself, Burnie let loose a string of incomprehensible swears as he shut off his blaring alarm.  Having drunk a few too many, the night and flight the previous day, he had a splitting headache that he sincerely hoped went away before they left for the park.

Though as he became more and more into a state of consciousness, he felt…

_"Abs?  Why do I..  Feel someone’s abs?" he asked himself internally._

Slowly, and fearfully, he flipped he head over to the other side of the bed.  A shirtless Joel, leaning his head on his angled arm, was grinning from ear to ear.  “Mornin’ love.  I’ve got to say, that was the best night I’ve had in years.  That was CRAZY what you pulled off in bed.  How’d you get your legs up that high?” he asked, in a sarcastic tone that Burnie didn’t recognize as a joke.

“I…Ah…Uh…A…Eh….” Burnie stammered back in a reply.

“So…  Ready for round two?” Joel said sneakily, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Covering himself in a sheet, Burnie kicked Joel out of the bed, and turned a bright shade of red.  “I..Uh…I….WE DIDN’T!” he shouted.

Flinging his hair dramatically, Joel sighed.  “You know, drunk Burnie was a lot more fun and a lot less shy!  Let’s go grab a bottle of scotch and get frisky in the shower!” he offered, moving back towards Burnie in a predatory manner.

Shrieking as loud as he could, Burnie fell backwards onto the floor, rubbing his eyes and trying to erase the image from his mind.

As he did, though, the sound of a flash Polaroid went off, and Burnie shot his head to the other side of the room, where a pajama-ridden Lindsay was grinning deviously from just inside the closet.  “PAYBACK, BITCH!” she yelled, running out of the room with a playful giggle.

Joel laughed his ass off, following closely behind.  “PROTECT THE CAMERA AT ALL COSTS!  I CAN SELL THAT TO PEOPLE MAGAZINE FOR MILLIONS!” he shouted.

Twitching, Burnie grabbed the biggest pillow from the bed and gave chase.

_

The shrill sound of a “woman’s” shriek upstairs reminded Griffon to never EVER piss off the Heymans as long as she lived.   Quietly returning to her morning coffee, beside several rambuncious children in various states of dress, she began wondering when the inevitable question would arise. 

“Hey Griffy, when are we going?!” Gavin asked, walking out of the bathroom, fresh from a shower and in proper summer clothing. 

Pushing his brother out of the way, Michael occupied the bathroom next, as Lindsay made her way into the living room, holding a camera carefully in her arms, as Burnie began beating Joel furiously with a pillow, dashing back and forth across the rooms on the opposite side of the house, like some bad Scooby-Doo chase scene.

Turning back to Gavin, she smiled plainly.  “Once everyone’s ready to go!  Maybe you should go grab Ray and try to draw him and Miles away from the PS2 for longer than five minutes.” she explained.

The blond dashed off to the other side of the house, until she noticed Kerry joining Joel and Burnie mid-chase, at an arm’s length away.  “WAIT, WAIT!  JOEL, I NEED MORE DESCRIPTIVE VERBS ABOUT THE AFFAIR!  WAS HE A BEAR, OR AN OTTER?!” he screamed,

Griffon sighed, rubbing her head.  “I’d give it…  An hour, tops, or until Burnie murders Joel.  Hopefully the latter, because Joel snores like a goddamn freight train.” she mumbled under her breath, returning to the sweet aroma of her coffee.

___________

After a mild breakfast, the HomeHunters had finally made it to their first destination, MGM Studios.  It was a smaller park, but one that proved to have a lot of sit-down and low-key activities.  Griffon and Joel had agreed beforehand it was best to start on a low note, to work off the jet lag and not do the big stuff right up..  Split up into three groups to tackle individual park desires, they agreed to meet up after lunch to travel as a group.

_**(Group 1: Griffon, Michael & Gavin)** _

 “COME ON GAVIN, QUIT BEING A CHICKEN!” Michael shouted, pulling Gavin towards a rather intimidating roller coaster that he wanted to ride. 

Hiding behind Griffon as he got loose of his brother’s grasp, Gavin was trembling at the sight.  “But Michael, it looks scary!  What if it’s fast?!” he shouted.

Huffing, Michael shook his head.  “You don’t want to do ANYTHING!  I wish I’d taken Dan instead!” he proclaimed angrily.

Griffon, sensing the agitation of Michael, and the unreasonable fear on the part of Gavin, had a light bulb pop in her mind at the perfect time.  “Hey Gavin, you might actually really like this ride!  It’s called the ROCKIN roller coaster, because it’s all about music from a really famous band called Aerosmith, and you get to hear their songs while you ride!” she explained, motioning towards a large prop guitar.

His ears perked up.  “Really?  Who’s Aerosmith?” Gavin asked.

Gasping dramatically, Griffon clung to her heart.  “Don’t you DARE let your father EVER hear that!  GAVIN, Aerosmith is one of Geoff’s FAVORITE bands!  You absolutely MUST listen to it, we HAVE to go!” she said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling both children towards the line, neither resisting at that time.

After going through a small museum like setting, and “meeting” the Aerosmith band and their manager, and being offered a “ride” to the Aerosmith concert, they were led to a small cage area, where a large “limousine” was awaiting for them.  Gavin hopped into it immediately, and was strapped in by an attendant with an overhead shoulder restraint.  “Come on guys, we’re going to be late for the concert!” he shouted, motioning for them to hurry and join them.  Michael took a seat next to him, and Griffon sat right behind them in the first car back. 

As they were strapped in and as the lights began to turn off, with a stoplight in front of them, Gavin began trembling next to Michael.  “Y…You promise it’s not fast?” he asked Griffon.

Thinking to herself quietly, a tiny smirk appeared in the corner of her mouth.  “Well, actually…  Now that I think about it, I think this is the ride that’s really fast and in the dark.” she remarked playfully.

“WHAT?!” Gavin shouted, turning around.

 _“Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.  Now let’s…  FLOOR IT!_ _” t_ he announcer called out, just as the ride jetted forward, going an insane speed from the get-go.

Traveling fast, the ride was in the dark, and darting past dozens of interstate signs, while listening to the hits of Aerosmith.  Or, they would, if Gavin hadn’t been screaming the entire time.

“WHY IS IT UPSIDE DOWN?!  MICHAEL, WHY ARE WE UPSIDE DOOOOOWNNNN!  MICHAEL, THAT SIGN SAYS 55 MPH!  WE’RE GOING FASTER THAN THAT!  AHHH, WE’RE GOING TO DIE!” Gavin cried out, holding onto Michael’s arm for dear life, shaking it angrily.

In the background, Griffon laughed her head off, wishing she could reach for her camera.

As the finally came to a complete stop, and after the restraints lifted up, Griffon peeked up to the front seat.  Both Michael and Gavin’s hair were sticking straight up in the front, and both were pale as a sheet. 

“B…Boys?” she asked in a tone of concern, noticing how they weren’t talking.

Gavin was shaking.  “t…t….THAT WAS AWESOME, LETS GO AGAIN!” he shouted, hopping out of the car and grabbing her by the hand.  “COME ON, LET’S GO ON ANOTHER ONE!” Gavin demanded, looking back towards Michael. 

Getting out of the car, Michael was turning from white to green quickly.  “I…I think I’m gonna be…  Siiick—” Michael began to comment, cut off as his morning breakfast heaved into a conveniently placed trash can towards the exit of the ride.

——-

**_(Group 2:  Joel, Lindsay & Courtney)_ **

Catching the outdoor theatre at the demand of his daughters, Lindsay and Courtney were enamored with a unique production of Beauty and the Beast.  After being invited to be the “guests”, they were in for a playful theatrical experience.  Costumed characters of the great Disney Classic were on stage, proudly presenting their guests with dinner.   Dancing chefs and utensils, performing “Be our Guest” in bright and lively moves alongside Lumiere, the talking candlestick.

“I wish our dinners were interesting like that!” Courtney mused to herself, with a far-away glance in her eyes.

Joel rolled his eyes.  “Yes, exactly what I want to have sentience.  A KNIFE.  I can see it now, me cowering in the shower, running from the cutlery.” he said sarcastically.

“SHH” the two girls shouted at him.

The play went on, until Belle finally came on stage, singing in a beautiful tone about living in a small, provincial town.  She was a dreamer, in a plain blue dress, and with a strong vocabulary backing up her vocals.

“I hope I grow up to be smart like Belle.” Lindsay commented happily.

Joel grinned.  “Well, considering you have an education as compared to a poor inventor’s daughter, I think that might happen.” he replied.

“SHH!” the two girls, a pair of elderly grandparents, and the entire row in front of them called out.

Gaston then quickly came on stage, in a dramatic and flirty display of selfish pride.  “How dare she turn down ME, THE ONE AND ONLY GASTON!” he exclaimed smugly, showing off his muscles.

“BOO, YOU SUCK!” Lindsay shouted from the background.

“That’s my girl.” Joel replied proudly, patting her on the back.

“SHH!” the entire audience called out, staring at Joel angrily.

“WHAT?!  She’s the one that said it!” Joel called out. 

Lindsay bopped him on the head, and chastised him into silence for the rest of the performance.

The remainder of the play was both fun and sad, up to the climax where the beast “transformed” into the prince, and they had the final dance number.  Belle and the Prince did a great rendition of a ballroom routine, ending with a romantic kiss.

Everyone in the audience stood to applaud, except for Lindsay, who couldn’t stop looking at the Prince and Belle, and how dreamily happy they looked while dancing like that.

 _“Maybe Michael and I can do that while we’re here…_ _”_ she thought to herself.

_**(Group 3:  Burnie, Dan & Kerry)** _

Sticking to arcades, tours of animation studios and a few outdoor events, Dan had been fairly entertained the first day with all the active-style games they had to offer, while Kerry reveled in learning about the history of Disney animation.  The Toy-story Mania shooting gallery had been an especially fun experience, where he kicked the rears of the entire ride, earning him a toy sheriff’s badge.

Though the fun (once again) came to a screeching halt.

“AHHH!  You’re Burnie Burns!” a woman in terrifyingly bad tourist attire screamed, running up to the man and hugging Burnie tightly. 

“Not again…” Dan muttered, smacking his head into a nearby wall, as Kerry sighed loudly.

“I LOVE YOUR MOVIES!  Can I have your autograph?!” the same woman asked.

Dan and Kerry both groan, watching as Burnie suavely revels in his celebrity status, and obliging her with a photo opportunity and autograph session, the third one of the day.

“Next time, we go with Joel.  Celebrities are assholes to travel with.” Kerry said painfully, planting his rear on a nearby bench with Dan.  By the looks of the forming crowd, they’d be there for quite a while. 

Dan nodded.  “You got that right.” he muttered.

“DAAAD!  YOU HAD TO RUIN IT DIDN’T YOU?!  IT WAS A GOOD SHOW, TOO!” Lindsay shrieked, walking alongside Joel and Courtney.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Joel was apologizing profusely to the girls.  “I’m sorry!  I had no idea that live commentary was grounds for expulsion from a play!  I didn’t even know you COULD get kicked out of a play at Disneyworld!  Some voyage that was!  Ask Griffy to take you back later, and I’ll take Gavin and Michael.”

“Dad, you yelled out that Ariel’s actor was a washed-up hasbin with less talent than the Federal Reserve had with financial policies and controlling interest rates…  Whatever that means.” Courtney said, glaring at him angrily.

Just before he began into another round of apologies, he noticed Dan, who waved at him.  The three joined Kerry and Dan, and Joel tilted his head curiously.  “Where’s Burnie?” he asked curiously.

Pointing at the crowd of fans surrounding him, the answer was clear.

“Oh.  Big director Burnie isn’t wearing sunglasses or even attempting to kid.  Has he done that often today?” Joel inquired.

Kerry and Dan nodded annoyingly.

“Three times.  Ten minutes each time.” Kerry replied.

Joel cracked his knuckles, and began to grin deviously.  “You two come with us, and we’ll hit up some rides.  But…  You know what MUST be done.  We must have our revenge, don’t we Dan?” he replied, patting his son on the shoulder. 

Nodding, Dan glared darkly at Burnie.  “You got that right; let’s put this morning’s revenge to shame.  I’m talking Plan Omega.” he said, with a maniacal tone to his voice.

Lindsay whistled as the five of them moved towards the Rockin’ Roller Coaster, shaking her head in disgust.  “Even I wouldn’t go THAT far!” she exclaimed, looking back towards Burnie in a fond pity.

_**(Group 4:  Miles, Ryan & Ray)** _

Just outside the tower of terror, Miles and Ryan were busily teasing Ray. 

“Man, it going to be SO SCARY, THEY DROP YOU OUT OF THE SKY, AND YOU FALL TO YOUR DEATH, AND JOIN THEIR LEGION OF THE GHOSTLY DEAD!” Miles joked, waggling his hands spookily.

Ryan had an equally disturbed look about him.  “Miles, you don’t understand…  We’re ALL going to be the ones in the hole!” he said dramatically, pointing to the gravesites beside them, and pulling out his worst evil king laugh.

Unphased, Ray shrugged it off, pulling out Burnie’s stolen iPhone and turning on a game of angry birds as they stood in line. 

Though after a rather long wait, the three of them were ushered inside an elegant Hotel, where they walked past several interesting rooms.  A study area, where all the lights turned out, causing Miles and Ryan to jump to themselves out of shock.  A TV turned on, after a bit of static.  To allow him to see, Ryan picked Ray up to his shoulders, where the program began to describe the events of a service elevator being a portal to the twilight zone.   

Once the staged program was over, they went inside a long line, where they entered an elevator shaft.  Sitting down, they were strapped into restraints, with a bright amber light illuminating the ride.

“Oh my gawd, this is so not scary!  We can see everything!” Miles chuckled to himself. 

As if revenge on his karma, the lights flickered out, being replaced by a dim green coating of light as they began to rise up slowly to another floor.  A dark voice sounded overhead, explaining the events of five people that died, falling from a great height in the hotel, on a “stormy night” such as that.  As he finished the story, the elevator doors re-open, revealing plasma like beings holographically projecting themselves towards them.

“AHHH!” Ryan shouted, shutting his eyes from the sight, memories of Dead Space painfully rejoining his thoughts.

Ray nodded his heads.  “Cool, zombies!” he exclaimed playfully.

The doors re-shut, and they returned to their ascension to the top, very slowly.  After a few more stops and dark explanations, Miles and Ryan were reduced to hysteric messes, while Ray was kicking his feet back and forth in excitement, enjoying the ride up.

Though as they ALMOST reached the top, the elevator DROPPED unexpectedly, as the creepy attendant laughed maniacally, and Miles and Ryan began shrieking like tiny children.  They clung to each other, crying painfully while Ray let the wind whip through his hair with a blank expression.

Just as quickly as the ride had fallen, it stops, and begins its ascension once more. 

“Hey guys, when’s the ride start?!  This elevator is kind of broken.” he yelled out over their terrifying screams, turning to the two in a genuinely curious expression.

Once more, the elevator dropped several flights, and stopping on a dime, reducing Ryan and Miles to tears.

“Man, they need a mechanic on this.” Ray mused, yawning as he leaned back and they fell for the last big drop, terrified screams echoing out over the entirety of MGM studios.

__________

Meeting up for a late lunch, everyone shared stories of their day’s adventures, and all agreed on what to do for a group activity.  Most everyone wanted to go ride the Rockin’ Roller Coaster and do the Toy Story Ride, as well as catch the Little Mermaid again, once they found some duct tape for Joel.

“Let’s go on the tower of terror, too!” Kerry offered happily.

“NO!” Miles and Kerry shouted back immediately, making everyone jump.

Ray nodded.  “Yeah, that ride sucked.  The elevator was broken and just fell a lot.” he said, slurping his soda loudly as they were walking out of the Disney-themed restaurant and tossing his trash.

As they exited, however, a loud whistle stopped them, and they all turned to the source, which was surprisingly Gavin.

“Hey guys…  Wait a sec, please?  Griffy, can you take me somewhere real quick?” Gavin stammered.

She nodded, and took him by the hand.

Everyone did as they were asked, watching as he led her just across the street, where a gathering of Disney’s costumed characters were getting autographs. 

“Who does he want to get an autograph from?  Those are all kiddy show characters!” Burnie asked, watching the two curiously

-

Gavin pulled out his small autograph book, and looked up at the rather lonely costumed character, which didn’t have a single person in line for him. 

“Umm…  Mr. Pooh Bear, can I have your autograph twice?  One for me and one for my bruv?” he asked politely, holding up the book with pleading eyes.

Silently playing his part, Pooh nodded with an excited chuckle, and took the book.  In a wide font, he signed his name crookedly, like that of a child.  Looking around and beside Gavin for a few moments, Pooh turned to him, laugh.

“Oh bother!  Where’s your little bruv at?  Didn’t he want an autograph too?” the character said, laughing brightly to himself, in his trademark Pooh-like manner.

Gavin pointed back to the same book.  “My bruv died, so can you just sign my book for me again?  I want to take him your autograph to his grave and give it to him for his birthday next week.  We sang pooh-bear all the time together, and it was our favorite show growing up, and I know he’d like to have it in heaven!” he explained calmly.

The other autographing characters from various other programs turned to Gavin at those words, interrupting their own sessions and turning with a rather shocked expression. 

Despite the smiling bear-head, the face behind the match felt a hitch in his heart.  He flipped the page immediately, and made another bright autograph.  “Here ya go, little buddy!” he finally said, handing it back to Gavin.

A bright smile overtook Gavin’s face, and he hugged the costumed bear as tightly as he could.  “Thank you pooh bear.” he said softly.

In the background, Griffon snapped a picture of the two hugging with her disposable camera, and wiped a stray tear from her face as the boy ran back with a gigantic smile, and taking her hand. 

“Thanks Griffy, Isaac will love it!” he exclaimed loudly.

“I’m sure he will Gavin, I’m sure he will.” Griffon replied confidently.  “Now..  How about we go show these wimps up and REALLY kick some roller-coaster butt!” she called out.

“YEAH!” Gavin replied bravely, picking up his pace as they rejoined the group.

________

Long after they had returned back to the condo after the MGM trip, made a rather long phone call home, and ate a lovely array of many types of pizzas for many picky pallets, everyone had been exhausted by the day’s exploits.  Griffon, half-way asleep, felt a tiny body snuggle up behind her again.  A little braver than he’d been the previous night, he tucked his arms around her midsection, hugging her like a stuffed bear.

“Miss your daddies?” she asked, knowingly.

The body didn’t say anything, merely tightening the grip on her stomach.

“Well, go on to sleep.  You can stay in here with me tonight, again.” Griffon said, shutting her eyes as they both began to drift off to sleep quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

The condo was relatively quiet in the early morning hours.  Even with the children’s various levels of excitement, they were all still incredibly sleepy from their late night excursions.

Griffon was reading the morning paper, while absentmindedly eating a banana.  Though her attention was soon turned to Burnie, who was holding up a pair of rather questionable leather pants.

“WHO DID IT?!,” Burnie exclaimed loudly.  He flapped the pants outward, revealing that the backside and crotch had been cut out, essentially turning them into chaps.

Griffon snorted.  “Please put those away, the kids don’t need to see your kinks,” she said, rather sarcastically.

Weeping over the pants, Burnie rubbed them against his face.  “THESE were the god tier pants!  My ass never looked hotter than when I was in these pants!  I was in the top 100 directors’ hot studs last year!  They made my buns STEEL!,” he sobbed, whining into them loudly.

In the back of the condo, Dan and Joel high fived each other.

“Don’t fuck with the Heymans,” Dan said with a smug grin.

Joel nodded.  “Don’t fuck with the Heymans,” he said in equal enthusiasm.

_

(Group 1 : Joel, Gavin, Dan)

Epcot was a wonderful place of cultural exploration.  Instead of the massive roller coasters or long lines of entertainment locales, it was more of a place to visit to see interesting sites that one might not see anywhere else in the world. 

Inside the English section of sites, Joel had taken his son and his son’s best friend to the country of their origin.  Though Joel was having far more fun than his younger companions.

Wearing a bowler hat, in a fake monocle, and bushy fake mustache, Joel was sat in a rather fancy looking tearoom.  He rose his teacup up, sipping it fancily with a pinky extended. 

“Tally-ho my good chums, I do say this is quite the top locale!,” Joel said, in a rather obnoxious and faked English accent. 

Dan and Gavin both groaned at the site, slapping themselves on the face painfully.

“Dad, SHUT UP.  WE GET IT.  WE TALK WEIRD,” Dan exclaimed, downing handfuls of chips to drown out the stupidity of his father.

Gavin turned to his friend.  “Why’d we go with him?  We should have gone to Mexico with Ray.  At least we’d get tacos then!,” he said regretfully.

Joel let out a hearty guffaw, drawing the attention of several of the other patrons, to their especially annoyed fascination.

Moving over towards them, a costumed Minister Frollo moved over and tapped Joel on the shoulder.  “Excuse me, good sir.  By order of the Holy Church of Maria, I must behest that you silence your rather…  Sinful behavior,” he said darkly, curling his fingers together in a menacing fashion.

“Who’s he?,”  Dan asked curiously.

Gavin shrugged.  “I dunno.  Who are you, mister?,” he requested.

The villain smiled to himself.  “I AM Minister Frollo, from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  I am here to ensure that you…  Miscreants do well to follow the rules and not express yourselves in a manner such as this…  Gypsy,” Frollo said, motioning towards Joel.

Joel stood up, and removed his monocle in a dramatic fashion.  “How DARE you, sir!  I am Sir Heyman, of the Austin Lords!  I shall behave however I see fit!,” he said in a faked formal accent.

“Oh god,” Gavin murmured.

“Kill me now,” Dan said in reply.

Continuing his parade of dramatisism, Joel moved over towards the Minister and stole his hat.  “YOU SIR, are a…,” he started, pausing momentarily to smack Frollo lightly in the chest.  “Party pooper!,” he declared.

Frollo took his hat back, and stared at Joel incredulously.  “Such LANGUAGE, you degenerate hooligan!,” he fought back, playing out the acting scene along Joel.

“FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM!,” an animated Esmeralda proclaimed, popping out of nowhere and joining her hands with Joel.

“FOR THE RIGHT TO BE CLINICALLY INSANE!,” Joel screamed back.

The entire restaurant began clapping as Esmeralda and Joel ran away from Frollo, who was fruitlessly attempting to chase them.

“Your dad is SO WEIRD,” Gavin said, hiding under the table.

“You should see him when he watches CSpan.  YIKES.” Dan added, joining Gavin under the table as Joel took a sword from the wall and fence-fought with Frollo in an epic duel that the Disney Cast members would ever forget.

_

(Group 2:  Griffon, Michael & Lindsay)

On the streets of Epcot, Griffon, Michael and Lindsay were watching as a group of mimes were performing on the streets in wild costumes.  Fresh from their exploration of the French sector, the two children had new berets for their heads, and both holding a rather oversized bagel. 

“Is this really wrong to stereotype like this?,” Griffon asked herself mentally, looking down at her black and white striped shirt she’d purchased from a vendor. 

“OH MICHAEL, LOOK, IT’S CINDERELLA!,” Lindsay shrieked, grabbing her “man” by the hand and pulling him quickly towards the freshly presented princess out of a small cafe.  Beating the horde of girls, Griffon watched as Lindsay took the front of the line, and presenting her autograph book to her. 

Cinderella curtseyed gracefully, and took it. “What a BEAUTIFUL little princess you are!  Is he your prince charming?,” the actress asked politely.

Michael snorted through his nose.  “Nah, Lindsay’s MY Princess Charming.  I’m the one always stuck in the tower,” he explained.

“Where you BELONG,” Lindsay added, with a rather dark glance towards him.

He shuddered in fear, as Cinderella giggled quietly to herself.  “Good to hear!,” she remarked, handing back the autograph book to Lindsay.

“Would you be offended if I took a picture?,” Griffon asked, moving towards the group of them.

The actress agreed, and the two children hugged the woman as Griffon lined up her camera and snapped several pictures.

Saying her goodbye, Griffon noticed as Lindsay whispered something into Cinderella’s ear, and as Cinderella whispered something back, pointing to Michael with a bemused expression.

Lindsay rejoined them, with a rather devious expression on her face.  “Come on; let’s go see if we can find Belle!  She’s the best princess EVER!” she exclaimed, moving towards the other end of the French area.

_

(Group 3:  Burnie, Ray, Courtney)

Taken up in the Mexico section of Epcot, Burnie was in a far better mood than the early morning hours had shown, and was in a rather festive sombrero with Ray and Courtney.  Sharing a lunch in a flamboyantly colored restaurant, Burnie and Ray were shaking maracas alongside the Three Caballeros, singing a festive Hispanic tune.

“Oh my god, REALLY?,” Courtney muttered, hiding her hand in embarrassment as Donald pulled out a trumpet and began spewing out a rather obnoxious tune from it.

Shaking his rear pleasantly enough, Burnie let out a loud laugh.  “Come on Courtney, let’s have some FUN!  We’re in Mexico, it’s time PAR-TAH!,” he shouted.

Courtney huffed, and rolled her eyes.  Hopping up from the chair, she moved back to the buffet and tried to take her mind off of the idiots she’d been stuck with for the day.

“Tough break, huh?,” a woman muttered.

Turning her head behind her, Courtney was presented with Meg, from Hercules.  She was in full costume, a long pink Grecian gown. 

Sighing dramatically, Meg leaned against the buffet and extended her hand.  “Megara, nice to meet you, but my friends call me Meg.  What’s yours?” she asked.

“Courtney,” she replied nervously, not sure of what to make of the woman. 

“Nice name, Court.  Those two class-A bumbos yours?,” she asked sarcastically.

She nodded, sighing.  “That’s my friend Ray, and kind of sort of my uncle Burnie.  They’re both REALLY immature and silly,” Courtney explained rather exasperatedly. 

Meg dramatically waved her hands in the air.  “Oh men are ALL like that.  My friend Herc?  He’s a total JERKULES at time, if you know what I’m saying!” she said playfully, to agree with the girl.

“My Daddy wasn’t,” Courtney explained.

Meg turned down, and stared at her rather pitifully.  “Oh?,” she replied.

Courtney nodded.  “Yeah.  My daddy was a really good man.  Even when he got sick and went to the hospital when his hair all fell out, he still played with me and read me bedtime stories.  He was NEVER silly like those two, or like my new Daddy Joel.  All the boys in my class act like this too!  It’s stupid!,” she remarked painfully.

Sensing the tension, Meg kneeled down to Courtney’s side.  “Sweetheart?  What happened to your daddy?,” she asked.

“Daddy died.  So did my mommy,” Courtney replied.

She bit the bottom of her lip, and turned to see Burnie and Ray looking towards her and Courtney rather worriedly.

“But I think Daddy would have really wanted to be silly like that.  He was just too sick,” Courtney remarked.

Meg smiled, watching as Courtney raised her head up and watched her friends fondly.

“I’m just not used to ‘em yet.  They’re so LOUD all the time!,” Courtney said, covering her ears.

“Oh really?,” Meg said, taking Courtney by the hand and moving over towards Burnie and Ray.  She handed the girl off to Burnie and looked at him with a stern gaze.  “Take her somewhere SHE wants that isn’t a parade of your macho-party-boy-mentality, got it beardo-weirdo?,” Meg said, touching him playfully on the forehead.

Burnie nodded.  “Got it, sweet cheeks,” he replied playfully, winking at her. 

Rolling her eyes, Meg sighed.  “You are WAY out of my league bucko, I wouldn’t even TRY,” she said.

Putting on the thick charm, Burnie took her by the hand.  “Oh come on, what say you and I go serenading on the fountain side, drinking wine and going from zero to hero?,” he asked flirtatiously, though in an obviously kidding manner.

Unphased, Meg laughed in his face.  “Because I’m dating Shan-Yu-Sexy over there,” Meg said, pointing behind Burnie.

The group of them turned to face a rather grotesque looking man in heavy face paint and fake fur costuming pull out a sword and scream loudly into the air.  He pointed at Burnie, and a crowd of Huns began piling into the Mexican restaurant.

”I CONQUOR THIS TACO STAND IN THE NAME OF MY PEOPLE!  NO MULAN CAN SAVE YOU NOW!,” he screamed, as the group began to ”invade” the restaurant patrons in a rather loud event.

“LEEEETS GO!,” Burnie exclaimed, grabbing up both kids and escorting them out of the restaurant, leaving behind a hefty tip to all of those having been involved.

From her side, Courtney stared up at Burnie angrily.  “I DIDN’T EVEN GET MY BURRITO!  I’LL HAVE MY REVENGE!,” she exclaimed, making a mental note to speak with Joel the following evening.

_

(Group 4:  Miles, Ryan, Kerry)

Taking residence in the Japan section of Epcot, the boys were doing what any video game enthusiast would do, and take up residence in the Pokémon-themed gift shop.

“WE’VE GOT TO GET PIKACHU!  You don’t go to a Pokémon shop and NOT get a Pikachu!,” Kerry exclaimed, holding up a plushie and squeezing it closely to his face.

Miles laughed, holding up a DVD.  “OH PLEASE, we’re getting the entire first season!  Ray’s NEVER seen the Kanto Region!  It’s a crime I tell you, a CRIME!  He’s got to see how much of a dumbass Ash was in season 1!,” he shouted in an equal enthusiasm.

Preoccupied in the corner, Ryan was rather focused on a Miltank plushie, while devious thoughts crossed his mind.

“HEY GUYS!,” Ray shouted, joining them from the outside as Burnie was catching his breath at the entrance to the shop.  Close behind him was Courtney.

Miles smiled, handing Ray a set of DVDs.  “Hold those, I’ve got to find the last disc.  You, me and season one tonight, kiddo,” he commanded.

Turning around, Ryan watched as Courtney was folding her arms angrily.  While Kerry, Miles and Ray were busy soaking in the Pokémon merchandising crack-cocaine, he walked over to Courtney and dropped down to her level.  “What’s up?  Not having fun?,” he asked, rather seriously.

Courtney sighed.  “It’s BORING here.  There’s no shows, it’s just a bunch of food, walking and looking, and I got stuck with BURNIE today!,” she said bluntly.

Ryan smirked.  “Yeah, sorry about that.  Where would YOU like to go?,” he asked.

She thought for a few moments, and eventually sighed.  “I wanna go see a show, like yesterday.  But Burnie and Ray don’t like that stuff,” Courtney replied rather sadly.

Chuckling, he shook his head and stuffed his few purchased into Miles’ hands.  “Pay for those for me, I’ll pay you back.  I’m taking Courtney to a show, okay?,” he said, not bothering to wait for confirmation and taking her by the hand.  “Come on, let’s go!  There’s a cool show I saw advertised, kind of like a technology of the future thing, it’s supposed to be REALLY cool!,” Ryan exclaimed, pulling her with him, to her complete and utter surprise.

_

Late in the evening the group of tired children, wearing various souvenirs, shirts, and plushies stuffed in their hands, were sleeping on the monorail, as they moved back towards the parking area. 

Griffon felt an all too familiar set of hands wrap around her waist, and grinned as she saw Michael snooze on her shoulders. 

“Sleepy?,” she asked.

Michael nodded immediately, and let out a loud yawn.  “I wanna go to bed,” he explained rather demandingly.

“Of course, sweetheart, just as soon as we get home,” she said.

“Thanks mommy,” he said, in a dazed state of half sleep.

Griffon was taken aback by the comment, but didn’t bother to question it, as Michael fell fast asleep on her.


	5. Chapter 5

The condo had finally gotten a tad dirty from the lack of Jack’s immaculate housekeeping.  While Ryan had attempted the first few days to pick up after everyone, but gave up once he took one look at the dishes.  When asked why he didn’t assist in the cleaning, Joel threw on a straw hat, managed to find some sort of fruity alcoholic beverage, an arm chair, and leaned back, flipping everyone off and screaming that he was “on vacation, so fuck all of you,”.

So while Griffon ordered a group of begrudgingly unexcited children to take out the garbage, and for the older kids to wash the dishes, she couldn’t help but notice Burnie hiding in a corner.  

“What’s up your ass?,” she asked oddly.

Looking back and forth around the room, Burnie was eyeing both Joel and Courtney like hawks, basically trembling out of fear.

Griffon laughed to herself, realizing what he was really afraid of.

Burnie shot up and grabbed her by the hands.  “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!  My innocence!  My pants!  MY PEACE OF MIND!  THE HEYMANS HAVE TAKEN IT ALL!,” he sobbed loudly, leaning into Griffon’s shoulders like a small child.

“Oh my god, you’re impossible.  You’re worse than the kids!,” she shouted in disbelief.  

“I don’t know Griffy…  He does have a point,” Joel said, appearing out of nowhere behind Burnie.

The grown man leapt by a mile, and hid behind Griffon, using her as a meat shield.

“YOU STAY AWAY FROM ME!,” Burnie shouted, grabbing a nearby tropical plant to protect himself with.  

“Are you…  Scared of me uncle Burnie?,” Courtney asked, in a genuinely terrifying voice, almost as if it were something out of “The Ring”.

Shrieking like a small child, Burnie grabbed a nearby Michael, and held him up like a small shield in one hand, and still grabbing Griffon by the other.

Joel moved slowly to Burnie’s ear, and licked his lips.  “It’s the waiting, isn’t it?  It kills you, doesn’t it?  What’ll it be next?  Jalapeno sauce in your g-strings?  Blue dye in your shampoo?  A hive of bees hiding in the toilet?  You never know with us, my dear friend,” he said in a menacing tone.

“You NEVER know,” Courtney echoed, in an equally creepy manner.

Finally giving up, Burnie flung Michael into Griffon’s arms and ran out of the house screaming as loud as he could.  The sound of his vehicle could be heard, and the laughter of children was deafening.

Only slightly amused by the sight, Griffon turned to Joel.  “What are you really going to do to him?,” she asked curiously.

Joel and Courtney exchanged glee expressions.  “Absolutely nothing, it’ll hurt worse that way,” Joel admitted, as he and Courtney exchanged high-fives.

_

(Group 1:  Joel / Michael / Lindsay)

The tree of life in the Animal Kingdom was a sight that overwhelmed the entire park.  Inside of it housed a large theatre, which Michael and Lindsay were walking out of, Joel stealing a pair of 3D glasses for his own amusement.

“THAT WAS SO COOL!,” Lindsay exclaimed, leaping up and down excitedly.

Michael nodded, smiling with an equally happy expression.  “YEAH!  THE BUGS FARTED ON JOEL!,” he shouted a little too loudly, earning him some rather dirty looks from parents.

Chuckling, Joel waved his hands around his neck.  “I dunno, Ode-de-fart is quite the scent.  I think I’ll wear it more often, and grab some from Taco Bell,” he said, waggling his eyebrows up and down.

“Jay, you’re so damn gross!,” Michael exclaimed, earning him several gasps from the nearby parents in irritation.

“SIR!  Are you going to let your child speak like that?,” a rather offended woman asked, waving her 60-year-old-wrinkly face with a fan.

Joel turned to her and bowed to her.  “I’m so sorry about that.  I’ll ask Michael to keep it down with his mouth.  Our house is a little more liberal with language, we forget that other people aren’t as big of fans,” he said turning to the boy with a stern look.

“Sorry ma’am,” Michael said.

Huffing, the woman was clearly not done with the three of them, despite the fact that they were already walking away.

“Such insolence!  Such…  Horrible parenting!  Why, if he were my son, I’d beat his butt till it was red!,” she shouted, earning her murmurs of support from her crony friends.

Michael stopped immediately, and covered his body with his hands in a defensive posture.  Catching his immediate change in mood, Joel swerved back around, taking off his 3D shades in a scary-fast manner.  “EXCUSE ME, but he apologized.  Don’t you DARE threaten this kid,” he said angrily, flipping from happy Joel to “holy-shit-Joel” in a split-second.

She scoffed at him, and had a small amount of laugher with her elderly friends.  “See girls, this is why the youth of today are such…  Rapscallions!  No good, lousy parents, who won’t take the reins and show them how to act!  In my day, teachers would pull the CANE on these brats!,” she shouted.

Taking her turn, Lindsay hitched her breath, and stepped backwards, grabbing Michael by the hand.

Joel gritted his teeth, unable to do much, given the public eye, endless amount of witnesses, and video cameras that juries wouldn’t be able to look away from.

“See kids, this is why you NEVER grow up.  Because you turn MEAN and NASTY like those old ladies over there!,” a young man’s voice said, appearing behind Michael and Lindsay, patting them both on the shoulders.

Joel turned around, and witnessed as Peter Pan and Wendy sat there, giving evil eyes to the group of older people.

“I do say, even proper ladies would never ridicule someone like that!  Why, my mother and nanny ALWAYS said, if you can’t say nothing nice, don’t say anything at all!,” Wendy said, stepping in between the group and the kids.  

Peter joined her, and kneeled down to their sides.  “Don’t you worry kiddos, I see how good you are!  Why just LOOK at this princess’s hair!,” he said, playing with Lindsay’s hair gently.  He turned to Michael, and booped his nose.  “Then there’s her stalwart knight!  I bet you’d show hook his what-for, NO PROBLEM!,” he said, pounding his chest.  

Michael and Lindsay both smiled, completely ignoring as the group of ladies were kindly escorted away by Hades, who was threatening them with eternal damnnation.

Joel’s anger left, watching as the two kids were enamored with the stories that Peter and Wendy shared with them, making all the bad thoughts go away.

_

(Group 2:  Burnie, Miles, Kerry, Ryan, Dan, Gavin)

Few things in life were as beautiful as Gavin’s eyes, walking out of “The Festival of the Lion King”.  The music, the acting, the singing, EVERYTHING overwhelmed the child, making a glimmering spark to illuminate the already bright glare of the Florida sunlight.  

“I think we broke Gavin,” Miles said, poking his brother in the head several times.  When he was undisturbed, clutching a stuffed Lion, the group began to look at him rather questioningly.  

Though just as they all began to genuinely worry, Gavin threw his toy into the air and began dancing around in circles.  

“AIIIIIIIIIYYYYYAAAAAAAASEWWWWENNNNNAAAAA BABBBBAAAAA EEEEEE MOLLLLGOLLLLARRRRR!” Gavin sang, in a horribly garbled version of the opening theme song.  Though as his knowledge of the lyrics faded, he laughed and moved on to a different performance.  “I’m going to be a mighty king, so enemies beware!,” Gavin sang, going into a full theatrical edition of the Lion King soundtrack.  He swapped back and forth between songs, doing an especially beautiful version of “can you feel the love tonight” with Dan on backup female vocals.  

So caught up in the sights and sounds (or for Ryan, the photographic evidence), they failed to notice a crowd people circling around them, applauding Gavin, and several of them throwing tips to his feet.

“OH I JUST CAN’T WAIT TO BE KING!,” Gavin ended, stopping in a theatrical pose.

At the end, the audience that had joined them began to applaud, earning a bright red blush to cover Gavin’s face.

“Bravo!,” a heavily costumed man in bright face paints exclaimed, in a deep, throaty voice.  

Gavin turned to face the man, and recognized him immediately as one of the actors in the show, who had played the part of Simba.  He was strong, masculine, and with a deep skin color.

“OH MY GOSH, YOU WERE SO GOOD!  CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!,” Gavin shouted, pulling out his book from his pocket and not waiting to shove it in the man’s face.

The actor chuckled, and nodded.  “Of course, of course!  You were quite good yourself!  I enjoyed hearing your voice, it was a beautiful thing to experience.  I feel like all my bad mojo just went POOF,” he said in a bright tone signing Gavin’s book and returning

Burnie smiled.  “He does seem to have that effect.  Our little golden boy, that’s for sure!,” he said proudly, ruffling Gavin’s hair.

“Golden is right!,” Miles said, clutching the dozens of dollar bills in his hands and laughing with a goofy grin on his face.

Ryan grabbed Gavin by the shoulders, and began pushing him back towards the center of the region.  “Come on Gavy, let’s get you singing some more stuff!  You know, for SCIENCE,” he said in a completely unconvincing tone.

As the kids moved to the busy street, Burnie felt the actor’s hand clutch his shoulder.  “You know, you should get that kid in music lessons.  Train his voice a bit.  I’ve seen twenty year olds audition here that had HALF the natural talent he did,” he said, in a sincerely warm tone.

Burnie snorted.  “You kidding?  If that kid doesn’t become an international superstar, I’ll eat my newly fashioned chaps pants!,” he said confidently.

“What?”

“Nothing!,” Burnie said, walking away slowly, realizing the extent of his tongue’s slipping.

_

(Group 3:  Griffon, Courtney, Ray)

Walking outside of the Finding Nemo theatrical performance, Courtney was dancing around in circles, giggling to herself.  “OH MY GOSH, THAT WAS BETTER THAN WHAT RYAN TOOK ME TO YESTERDAY!  Thank you Ray!,” she exclaimed, quickly giving him a light peck on the cheek.  

Ray blushed and turned away.  “W..whatever…  I’ll go see the dino stuff with Michael later,” he murmured.

Griffon smiled  at the two, and took both by the hands.  “So!  We’ve got about another hour before we meet up for lunchtime!  What would you guys like to do next?!,” she asked eagerly.

“How about we go see the pretty birds?,” Geoff said.

Griffon nodded.  “Yeah, that would…  Be…,” she began to say, turning around immediately.  

Standing there, in what could only be described as the most hideously gaudy tropical tee shirt, was her boyfriend, Geoff Ramsey.

“DAD!,” Ray shouted, leaping up from the ground and swinging around Geoff’s neck before Griffon could get to them.  Beside him was Jack in, naturally, a Texas shirt, with Caiti Ward beside him in a comfortable yellow sundress.  

Caiti lifted her finger up.  “I worked 48 hours straight, and doing far more than my contract asked for, so the three of us could leave work early!,” she said perkily.

Done with his son, Geoff moved over and hugged Griffon tightly around the neck.

“Can people go 48 hours without sleep?,” Griffon said amusingly enough, giving Geoff a quick kiss on the lips.

Waving off the very thought, Caiti began laughing a little oddly.  “Oh, I’m FINE.  When the purple goes away, I’ll be even better!,” she exclaimed.

“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you under a shady tree,” Jack said quickly, taking Caiti by the shoulders and moving her to a small Tropical Cafe.  

“Okay Mr. Beardy-Pope,” Caiti said.

Courtney whispered something into Ray’s ears, and the two began to laugh with each other.  “We’re going with Jack and Caiti!  You two have fun!,”  Courtney said, taking Ray by the arm and running after the almost amusingly inebriated Caiti.

Looking into Geoff’s eyes, Griffon moved her hand across his rear-end.  “Touring the birds?,” she asked happily.

“While playing grab-ass?,” Geoff retorted.

“Of course!,” she replied deviously.

Then, just like that, the two of them walked off into the busy streets, making a rather disgusting, yet adorable, expression of PDA.

_

To say that the kids had been excited about Geoff, Jack, Caiti and Kara’s arrival in Florida would be a massive understatement.  In a surprisingly touching act of affection, Michael actually allowed his father to carry him around the park.  

All of them had gone to the beach around sunset, everyone in swimsuits and enjoying the cool water of the waves, Courtney’s gorgeous sandcastles, or watching as Joel stepped on a jellyfish and had his dick snapped by a sand-crab.

Sitting next to each other as the waved rolled over them, Griffon and Geoff held hands and leaned into each other.  “Having fun?,” Geoff asked.

She nodded.  “Of course.  Being “mommy” has been pretty fun.  It’s like having pets that don’t shit on the carpet!,” Griffon said rather amusingly.

“Mommy?,” Geoff retorted.

Smiling to herself, Griffon wiped away a strand of hair from her forehead.  “Michael got really sleepy last night, and called me Mommy.  It was adorable!,” she said, in a satisfactory tone.  

Disbelief covered Geoff’s face, and he nearly broke his neck, turning to watch Michael stomp all over Gavin’s sandcastle, roaring like a dinosaur.  “You’re kidding?  HE?!  HE CALLED SOMEONE MOMMY?!,” he said ridiculously.  

Griffon’s face must have given away her curiosity, as Geoff calmed down, chuckling to himself.  “You don’t understand…  The one and only person that EVER loved Michael was his mother.  To him, there is nobody more important to him in this world!  So for him to call anyone that?  That’s…  That’s a pretty big fucking deal,” he said warmly.

“HEY GRIFFY, isn’t this cool?!,” Michael shouted from the beach, waving as he held up a gigantic shell.

She nodded, and waved at him to confirm the coolness.

“I’m glad you came back,” Geoff said, clutching her hand even tighter.

“Me too, Geoff.  Me too.” she replied, in a happiness she hadn’t spoken in over a decade.


	6. Finale

After a crowded evening in a condo with far too many people inside the walls, and an early morning of fighting for the shower and McDonalds that Joel had gone to pick up, the family had finally made it to the largest park in all of Disneyworld.  The Magic Kingdom, where Cinderella’s towering castle loomed overhead, glistening in bright colors in the early morning sun.

Splitting up into groups as usual, it would prove to be an amazing day for all of those involved.

_

 

(Group 1:  Geoff, Michael, Dan, Gavin, Miles, Ryan)

 

Lines, in the middle of summer, were nothing short of atrocious as dozens of denizens from all of the United States (and some from across the sea) came to enjoy the amusement parks.  Though as Geoff’s group managed to get towards the front of Space Mountain, any irritation wasn’t visible on the faces of the youth after a 20 minute wait.  

Space Mountain was a gigantic white building, that housed an extremely fast roller coaster on the outskirts of Tomorrowland, a futuristically designed land.  Loops, twists, turns, and vomit-inducing speed awaited one particularly nervous red head.  

The attendants finished strapping in the last of the boys, and Michael gulped loudly as he turned to his father.

“If I barf, it’s YOUR fault, you know,” Michael said, attempting to put on a brave face.

Geoff managed to chuckle, and patted him on the back.  “Aim for Ryan,” he instructed.

“HEY!,” Ryan exclaimed, turning around from behind and shooting Michael an incredulous glance.  

Any argument was soon made moot as the roller coaster shot like a rocket into the darkness of “space”, and the older boys in the front began shrieking so loudly that they drowned out MIchael’s cries and Gavin’s fits of laughter.  Geoff howled into the air, and stuck his hands high up with Dan, who shared his enthusiasm brightly.

Whizzing in the darkness, with only specks of green to illuminate the occasional  region, the kids were blind to whatever scenes whirred by them.  

The overall experience was short, loud, but incredibly fun for most of the people involved.  After being unstrapped, (a few forcibly, while their bodies were frozen), the six of them walked out of the ride area.  The older boys looked ill, while the kids (sans Michael) were giggling happily with Geoff.

“Let’s do it again!  Let’s do it again!,” both Dan and Gavin yelled in unison, tugging at Geoff’s hands.

Chuckling, Geoff nodded.  “Alright, alright, we’ll go again!  What do you guys say?,” he asked, turning to look at the other kids.

The older boys exchanged frightened glances and slowly stepped away with Michael.

“We’llbeovertheregettingmickey’sautographkaythanksbye!,” the four of them said in unision, dashing away before any of them could be caught by Geoff’s grasp.

“Wimps,” Gavin and Dan said together, smirking with Geoff as the three of them ran off to line up for another go at Space Mountain.

_

 

(Group 2:  Joel, Caiti, Jack, Lindsay, Courtney, Kara)

 

Inside the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland lied many broadway-like attractions.  After seeing virtually all of them, including the Magic Philharmonic, the Under the Sea show, and meeting several play-actors, the group of five lined up for the magic carousel line.  

Climbing up on the classically designed horse, each of them slowly began to spin around, while slowly gliding up and down.  

“This is fun!,” Lindsay exclaimed, as they rounded another corner, and she waved excitedly to the people in the crowd.

Less than amused with the ride, Courtney had taken it upon herself to entwine her legs on the pole section, and hung herself upside down like a sloth to make the ride a tad more fun.  

“COURTNEY!,” Joel shouted from a few horses back.

She twisted her head around to face him, and saw him giving her a thumbs up.

“Don’t fall, and don’t let the attendant catch you!,” Joel said loudly.

“YOUNG LADY, SIT RIGHT!,” the attendant said, almost on cue.

After being caught, Courtney returned to the upright position.  

The ride finally came to an end, and the lot of HomeHunters slowly exited, with Jack escorting Caiti off her own horse like a proper gentlemen.

“Where to next?  Your choice ladies, you’ve been stuck with stinky boys all week!,” Caiti asked, looking down at the two girls kindly.

In a small conference, Lindsay and Courtney spoke to each other in quick whispers, and both had a fun smile erupt on their face.

“Can we go find princess dresses!?  We wanna dance with Michael and Ray before we leave!,” Courtney said excitedly.    

Joel grinned to himself.  “HELL YES!  We’ll get the boys outfits too!  More suffering for them, more enjoyment for ME!,” he exclaimed loudly.  Without an ounce of hesitation, Joel picked up both of his girls and raced down the Mainstreet, with them both screaming in a fit of laughter and fun on his arms.

“Awww, he’s such a nice father,” Caiti remarked.

Kara smiled quietly.  “He sure is,” she commented.

“He’s also a sadist.  I shudder to think what he’ll pick out for my sons,” Jack quipped.  

Kara nodded immediately.  “He sure is,” she said in equal enthusiasm.

 

_

 

(Group 3:  Burnie & Griffon)

 

Away from the rest of the kids and company, Griffon and Burnie had elected to spend the day together, catching up after many months of being apart, on Mainstreet USA, sitting on the outside porch of a themed cafe.  Being five or six states away tended to make social interactions difficult to keep up with, so it was a welcome (And personal) exchange.

Though it wasn’t the happy excursion that either had expected.  Instead, after discussing the few updates to their mutual circle of friends, there had been an odd silence between the two of them that Burnie elected to break.

“So you’re really not coming back?  You’re staying here?,” Burnie asked, rather solemnly.  

Griffon shook her head.  “No, I don’t think so.  I thought about it for a while, but in the end, I figured out that…  Being here, with these kids, and with Geoff?  It’s like…  I belong.  Like they need me to even out the crazy, and be that female figure they can come to for comfort.  Jack’s great, of course, but…  Well, you know.  These kids all had mom problems, and never got to know them very well.  Especially Michael, who clings to me all the time when I come to visit.  It’s like…  It’s like I’m his mom,” she said, happily.

Burnie sighed in retaliation.  “Griffon…  It’s not the same without you, you know.  I mean Monty’s great but…  You were my best friend in Cali.  Without you there, it’s…,” Burnie explained, stammering at the words.

She turned to face him.  “Burnie…  I…,” Griffon said, unsure of what to say.

“Mo——  GRIFFY!,” Michael screamed from across the park.  

Looking away from Burnie, she watched as her family were walking towards them.  Geoff was close behind, shooting her a beaming smile.  Joel seemed to be chasing Ray with some weird costume on a hanger, while Caiti and Kara were laughing at the sight.  All in all, it was a group of incredibly happy people.

Griffon wiped her hair away from her head, and stood from the table.  She walked away from the table and off towards the group.

As she did, Burnie watched her interact with the people he’d come to know as his own family.  She comforted Michael as he held up some sort of tacky prince outfit, venting to her.  Griffon proceeded to brightly react to Lindsay’s bright yellow Belle dress, as well as Courtney’s emerald green Jasmine outfit.  Everything she did and acted, elicited a smile out of the people she was around.

Despite the pit in his stomach, Burnie managed to smile for her.

“Yeah…  I guess you do belong, don’t you?,” Burnie commented to himself, biting the bottom of his lip.

“UNCLE BURNIE, COME ON, WE’RE GOING TO SEE THE FIREWORKS!,” Gavin shouted, hopping up and down vividly towards the man.  

“YEAH, COME ON!  WE’LL HAVE LOTS OF FUN!,” Joel said menacingly, in a dark tone, followed up by an evil laughter.

Seeing all of them signal for him to join them, he managed a chuckle to himself, at the same time of a dark shudder, watching Joel waddle towards him.

_

 

After a long week of fun, excitement, Burnie torturing, and other amazing activities, the HomeHunters looked back on Cinderella’s castle for the last time.  If there faces were any indication, there was a great deal of remorse in their leaving in the late evening hours.

Waiting outside the nearby restroom, Griffon was looking for the kiddos to exit the restroom, where they’d been changing.  

“THIS IS STUPID!,” Ray said loudly, dashing outside the bathroom in a blur.  Despite the speed in which he ran, she could still make out the outline of a Prince Aladdin outfit, complete with beige sultan’s hat.  Racing after him, Courtney, dressed as Jasmine was in a fury.

“GET BACK HERE YOU ASSHOLE!,” Courtney shouted just as loudly.

Joel soon ran after them, hoping to catch up with them.

“Next?,” Griffon muttered to herself, looking back to the bathroom doors.  

Walking outside in a blue vest with tailcoats, and black pants, Michael had the look of Prince Adam, save for the glasses and curly red hair.  

“I look like a dork,” Michael said, folding his arms angrily.

Before she had a chance to chastise him, Lindsay walked out of the girls’ room, in a flowing yellow ballroom dress, with her hair curled just like Belle’s.  Walking out behind her wait Caiti and a curling iron, giggling to herself on a job well done.

Michael silenced as she walked over to him, and extended her hand.  “You look cool!  You’re like a real prince!,” she said.

Taking her hand, Michael smiled to himself.  “You’re cool too.  I like your hair, it’s pretty,” he said.

Snorting at the sight, Griffon pulled out her camera immediately, but was interrupted by loud explosions from behind them.  From behind the castle, fireworks began to erupt in the night sky illuminating everything around them, shooting all over the starry skies.  Playing over the speaker systems, “When you Wish Upon a Star’s” classic tune enveloped the entire area.  

Clearly excited, Lindsay tightened her grip on Michael’s hands.  “Come on!  I wanted to do this all week!,” she exclaimed, dragging Michael by the hands and into an empty section of the main street’s cobbled pavement.  Moving their hands appropriately, the two slowly began to dance back and forth with the music in the background acting as their inspiration.  Lindsay’s yellow ballgown skirted against the ground, while Michael’s tailcoats bobbled up and down against his pants.

“Remind you of a few people?,” Geoff said, joining her at the side, and pulling her into a half hug.

She nodded.  “Yep.  Me in that tacky pink prom dress, and you in that light blue abomination of a tuxedo.  They way outrank us in every way, shape, and form, already at six,” Griffon replied, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Geoff chuckled.  “You got that right.  Anyway, did you have fun this week?  Get the know the boys better?,” he asked.

Smiling as Lindsay snuck in a kiss (much to MIchael’s dismay), Griffon nodded.  “It was great.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, and…,” she muttered.

Confused by her silence, Geoff tilted his head, but remained silent.

“You know…  I think…  I think I’ll take your offer, and do this HomeHunter thing seriously.  As much as I love your boys, they’re YOUR boys.  I think I want my own someday.  Maybe a girl, if it’s in the stars,” Griffon commented.

Geoff beamed.  “Awesome!  Ab…  Absolutely!  We’ll get you home and we’ll” he began to say, spouting off loudly in a long string of  barely coherent excitement.  Ignoring him, Griffon took in the sights before her.

“I’ll never forget this, as long as I live.  The day I knew I wanted to be a mom,” Griffon thought to herself quietly, shutting her eyes and smiling softly.

  
  


_____

 

(Many Years Later)

 

“DAAAAAD COME ON!  MOVE YOUR ASS!,” a boy screamed.  At eight years old, with spiky red hair, a loudmouth, and a set of piercing brown eyes, it was little mystery whose child it was.

Michael, standing stout in his later thirties and a tight-fitting muscle shirt, was running to catch up with the miniature version of himself.  “GODDAMNIT TYLER GEOFFREY, YOU WAIT FOR US, OR I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU RIDE EVERYTHING WITH ISAAC PATTILLO AND LET HIM PUKE ON YOU!,” he shouted, running after the ball of energy himself.

Giggling to herself, Lindsay followed at a safe distance, cradling a newborn child in her arms.  “Yeah, that’s your new daddy and brother.  Don’t you even worry that you’re not ours, because you’ll never know the difference.  They kind of sucks sometimes, and you’re going to have the single most overprotective father in the world, and the bestest big brother ever.  Isn’t that right Harmony?,” she said, noting the gigantic grin on the little adopted baby girl’s face.

The moment of cuteness was soon ended, however.

“OH MY GOD, IT’S GAVINO!,” shrieked a woman in the near distance, while a gaggle of girls joined in on the screeched.  Inhaling deeply, Lindsay sighed as she watched a tall, lean, and well dressed Gavin run past her with a boy in his arms, and a red head on his hand.  Unlike in his youthful preppy stages, Gavin was in full leather pants, some abomination of a leather green vest, and sunglasses that did little to draw attention away from his gigantic schnoz.

“RUN.  RUN FOR YOUR BLOODY LIVES!  Meg, if I don’t make, take care of Isaac for me!  Don’t let Michael have him, he’ll ruin the boy!,” Gavin screamed to his wife and child.

“DAD, I’M SCARED!,” a miniaturized version of Gavin screeched in his father’s arms as they dashed past them.

A crowd of young fangirls rushed past Lindsay, leaving a tail of dust in their wake as they chased after Gavin, Meg and Isaac.

“Seriously?  Can we not go to ONE place and not have Gavin get recognized?  For fuck’s sake,” Dan said, walking with Mia to his side, and a small girl no older than six, with long brown hair in his hands next to him.  

Looking up to her father, the girl tilted her head curiously.  “Papa, how come Uncle Gavy always has girls chasing him?  Did he do something bad?,” she asked.

Chuckling, Dan lifted the girl up.  “No, Karaline, he didn’t.  Uncle Gavy’s a good man.  Just really dumb,” he explained, ruffling her hair playfully.

Karaline laughed.  “Yeah!  He is!,” she reiterated.

Off to the side, and away from the comedy routine, a set of men in their early forties were sitting at a cafe, each of them with a child in their laps.

“We’re going to the Tower of Terror!  Little Jacob wants to go!  Isn’t that right kiddo?,” Kerry said, earning a reaffirming nod from his twelve year old adopted son.  With pure black hair accenting his Native American heritage, he was a fierce sight to behold, and not one to be easily trifled with.

Shaking his head, Ryan just laughed in Kerry’s face.  “No…  I don’t think so.  We’re taking Jeff to see the musicals, because he’s got the most tragic backstory.  Right Jeff?,” he asked, turning to his preteen adopted son.  Like his father, Jeff had dirty blond hair, and stout, strong figure.

Jeff raised his hand up.  “Fuck yeah!  I win the saddest kid award, remember?,” he said, shooting a dirty look to his Uncle Kerry and Uncle Miles.

From MIles’ lap, a small girl of eight stood on top of him.  With pigtails, and a bright pink princess dress from the disney store, she had the appearance of an innocent girl.  

“WE’RE GOING TO HAVE PRINCESS TEA TIME, WEAR PRETTY DRESSES, GET A MAKEOVER, AND MEET JASMINE, AND THAT’S THAT!,” the girl screamed, shooting a look of terrifying evil towards all those involved.  

“Yes Princess Rachel,” all the boys replied, in a disappointed tone.

MIles high-fived his daughter, followed up by a fist bump, and a nod of the head.

To the side of the feuding fathers, three women rolled their eyes at the sight.

“Whipped by an eight year old.  Samantha, Emily, you two must be SO proud,” Arryn said, rather smugly.

Samantha shrugged.  “Meh, Kerry’s whipped by everyone.  It’s okay, it’s ammo for his books, and pure revenge fuel during talk shows,” she said, with a leery look in Arryn’s direction.

Giggling, Emily snapped a photo of the table.  “Ryan’s just being nice.  Most likely, he and Jeff will ditch all of us in ten seconds or less.  I swear, he treats that boy like a king since we adopted him.  Not that I blame him.  They’re basically from the same background,” she explained, rather fondly.

Away from everyone, an all too familiar shocking white HIspanic man was walking hand in hand with a small girl, heading towards Cinderella’s palace.  She, like a majority of the other kids, were in her preteen years.  She had a long, braided blond hair, in an all too familiar style as a movie in the long past.

“Daddy Ray?  Do you think I’ll get to meet Elsa?  She’s my favorite, and I did my hair JUST like hers!  I want to see if she likes it!,” the girl exclaimed.

Ray chuckled.  “Of course Emma, I won’t REST till you get to see her!  And if we don’t find her, I’ll make Gavin dress up like her,” he remarked.

“ITS GAVINO!,” Emma retorted angrily.

“Not a fucking chance,” Ray said irritatingly, rolling his eyes.

Far away from all of the adult HomeHunters, and elderly couple in their fifties were walking hand in hand.  Geoff, in all his grey-like glory, and Griffon, rocking a solid pink hairstyle, gave zero fucks, and were wearing some of the tackiest tourist outfits they could manage.  Though even in their age, and even in their tourist trashiness, their figures had stood the test of time, looking as though they hadn’t aged a day.

“I hate that Jack, Caiti and Lizbeth have to come a day late…  Hell, I wish the twins could have come…,” Griffon said in a sad tone, frowning at the thought.  

Geoff chuckled.  “Oh please, do you blame them?  We went to disneyworld pretty much EVERY summer on Burnie’s dime.  I’m sure they’re sick of it by now.  Besides, they’re not like the others, who have their own kids to think about.  No…  They’re in their twenties, and living it up.  Well, as much as two doctoral candidates CAN live it up, I suppose,” he said, in a beaming fatherly proudness.  

Griffon snorted.  “Where’d we go wrong?  I mean, we raised a rock star, a champion boxer and all star coach, one of the most successful businessmen in America, an internet sensation, a Director, and a bestselling novelist if we count Kerry.  But the twins wanting to be…  Professors?!  Uhhhhhghhhh,” she said, shivering in a joking manner.

“OH MY GOD, CAN YOU OLD GEEZERS MOVE ANY SLOWER?  COME ON GRANDPA, GET A FUCKING MOVE ON IT!,” Michael shouted from across the park.

“YEAH, MOVE IT ASSHOLES!,” Ty shouted next to him.

Griffon and Geoff exchanged a look of irritation.  

“On second thought, they might be the only ones we did right by,” Griffon said.

“Agreed,” Geoff replied, rolling his eyes and wobbling over towards his ever growing family, and for another week that they’d never be able to forget.


End file.
